Ep. 401 Today's Peep Plays Connect The Dots: From Storms to Presidents Day- Proof that One Small Idea Can Spark a Chain of Discovery, Candy Bars with Parachutes, Famous Ruths, Deviled Eggs and A Touch of The 'Dead'

February 16, 2026·24 min·2 clips

The Baby Ruth candy bar was named after President Grover Cleveland's daughter, not Babe Ruth, to avoid paying royalties.

Pat Walsh opens episode 401 by thanking listeners for the podcast's growing audience and noting he missed Friday but made up with a Valentine's Day special. He describes the rainy weather in Northern California's foothills, mentioning potential snow and travel disruptions at San Francisco International Airport due to FAA ground delays. Pat transitions to President's Day, explaining its origins honoring George Washington and all U.S. presidents. He introduces a 'connect the dots' theme, starting with a Facebook question about the Baby Ruth candy bar. Pat reveals it was named after President Grover Cleveland's daughter, Ruth Cleveland, not baseball player Babe Ruth, to avoid royalties, and details a 1923 marketing stunt where candy bars were dropped with parachutes. He then connects to another Ruth, 16-year-old New Zealand runner Sam Ruth, who recently broke the national indoor mile record. Pat shifts to musician Ruth Underwood of Frank Zappa's band, sharing how Zappa's music inspired him to leave classical percussion studies at Juilliard. This leads to a mention of Underwood Deviled Ham, its history since 1868, and its iconic red devil logo. Pat discusses deviled eggs, his preference for paprika, and the etymology of 'deviled' in food dating to the 1500s. He concludes by linking back to his radio show, The Pat Walsh Show, encouraging listeners to tune in. The episode is a solo monologue with a free-associative structure, blending personal anecdotes, historical facts, and current events.

As heard by us

A rainy Monday monologue that turns trivia into a relaxed chain of connected ideas.

Pat's Peeps Ep. 401 moves from listener thanks into a loose run of linked curiosities: Presidents Day, the Baby Ruth bar, a candy-company origin story, deviled eggs, and a final nod to the Grateful Dead.

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Why you'd press play

You want a rainy-day chain reaction from Presidents Day to Baby Ruth to deviled eggs.

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